5 blue ribbons from Romance Junkies
RISEN FROM ASH by Rachel Bo - 4.5 blue ribbons
Damon and Ash first meet as he's moving in and loses control of a box he'd been carrying. She aids him in picking up his belongings even though he obviously doesn't want her help. Ash is attracted to him and while she doesn't notice anything else she helped pick up she does recognize several pins on a towel - one of them belongs to a popular BDSM club.
A few days later, Ash is watering Damon's flowerbed, a chore she used to do for the lady who had occupied Damon's apartment. Damon's agreeable to her continuing to care for the flowers, after all he's only good for watering and cutting the grass. During the course of their conversation, Damon makes the decision to jump back into the dating pool and asking Ash out to breakfast might be just the kick start he needs. Over breakfast they learn a great deal about each other and Damon decides that while sexual domination may be taboo as far as he's concerned, psychological domination definitely has some possibilities. Keeping his need for sexual dominance under wraps proves to be more difficult then he anticipates. Will Ash be able to bring out the true Dom in Damon and help him see that there's a very real difference between the pain he saw due to the war and the sweet pain to be found in the BDSM lifestyle?
Rachel Bo's RISEN FROM ASH is one of the intriguing storylines in Loose Id's VETERANS series. The series involves the stories of four friends who went off to war and came back as changed men. In RISEN FROM ASH readers are presented with a Dominant man who's having trouble separating the aspects of the BDSM lifestyle from situations he witnessed in Iraq. It'll take a strong woman to help him through his pain and Ash proves to be exactly what he needs. I loved the emotional appeal of this story - especially once Damon and Ash sit down and have an honest discussion about their needs and his reasons for not allowing his Dominant nature to truly take over.
THROUGH THE FIRE by Liz Andrews - 5 blue ribbons
It's only Kena's dumb bad luck that Baldwin arrives home early and catches her breaking one of her own rules. Now she's positive that any hope she has for a good reference is over. While they debate the merits of his calling the police versus her technically not trespassing, Baldwin's injured leg causes him to nearly collapse. Kena has an opportunity to escape but instead, goes inside, rummages through his luggage and returns with several bottles of pills. Baldwin may be determined to conquer his injury through force of will and hard work but Kena isn't about to leave him in pain. She uses the threat of calling his mother to get him to take the medication. They soon embark on a battle of wills filled with sexual tension. She continues to clean his home - because that's what she was hired to do, and he continues to be rude. Kena has enough attitude of her own and isn't afraid to speak her mind. They're perfect together... but there's the little issue of his snobby family and Gina - the girl his mother intends for him to marry. Falling for the hired help and an African-American girl at that isn't going to set well with his snotty, upper-crust mother, but then Baldwin's never worried about whether or not his decisions pleased her in the first place.
THROUGH THE FIRE is Liz Andrews's contribution to Loose Id's VETERANS series. This story is full of all the emotional turmoil, attitude, and sexual tension I've come to really enjoy from Ms. Andrews's storylines. I really loved Kena's spirited attitude and the simple fact that she's not willing to back down in the face of Baldwin's self-pity and anger. Baldwin's cynicism and Kena's reaction to it had me laughing out loud. There's nothing quite like a spunky girl who's not afraid to tell you how it is to bring a man out of his self-absorption.
Chrissy Dionne (courtesy of Romance Junkies)
Veterans 1
Baldwin Garrett was cynical due to the war and his wealth. Wounded in a tour of duty and getting the best medical care due to his wealth, he sets everyone at arms length because of guilt. Despite the defensive wall he built himself, a feisty vixen burrowed through by not backing down from his standoffish attitude and dared to challenge his surly attitude. Kena Rutherford was hired to do some house cleaning by Baldwin's mother and Kena was willing to do it at a lower cost hoping to garner more business from her rich friends. But the best-laid plans always go asunder as she was caught skinny-dipping by Baldwin who had come home early. She gets fired by Baldwin's mother who had lined up a cheerleader Barbie doll to facilitate in Baldwin's rehabilitation and Kena was not a women she wanted her son to become too friendly with.
Reading Through the Fire was a pleasure, it kept me with a constant cheesy smile plastered on my face with its quip anecdotes, and the little disagreements and situations the two main characters found themselves in. It was just a simple story of an injured soldier who falls in love and finds his mission in life. It was not an earth-shattering sweep me off my feet kind of romance but was an easy laid back let nature take its course story.
Nellie
reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed
(2 reviews)
